Marine signaling apparatus.



No. 740,939. PATBNTED 002w. s, 1903.

- W. J. SMITH.

MARINE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, I902.

, H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

RS on Pumaumu. WASH\KGTON. a. c.

UNITED STATES Patented October 6, 1903.

WILLIAM J. SMITH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

MARINE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

ElPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,939, dated October6, 1903. Application filed August 20,1902. Serial in. 120,335. (Nomodeh)To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of \Vashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine SignalingApparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference beingbad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to marine signals; and its object is to provideimproved apparatus for changeably exposing to view alphabetic letters orother characteristic symbols,

whereby messages may bequickly and accu-;

rately conveyed from vessel to vessel by certain combinations of lettersor signs, according to a predetermined code of signals.

Flags which are commonly used for signaling frequently become wrappedaroundtheir supporting-halliards during calm weather or when a steameris moving in the same direction as the wind. When the wind blows in adirectionjsoward or from the vessel in sight, the signal-flags cannot bereadily discerned and oftentimes the ships pass each other before asingle sentence is made out or exchanged, and consequently a distress orurgent signal, though hoisted, is frequently illegible or misunderstood.In stormy weather the signal-halliard often breaks, the flags are tornor the wrong ones bent on, and the opportunity for conveying a messageis lost as the ships separate.

To overcome the above-noted and other objectionable features, I providea signal ap-- paratus involving the elements of construction, thecombination and arrangement of devices, and the principles of operationhereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a signalapparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a rear .eleva tion, the coverbeing removed to show the internal mechanism; Fig. 3, an enlargedhorizontal sectional view on line aczrof Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 an enlargedvertical substantially central section through one of the screenspoolsand its connecting mechanism.

Similar numbers indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

The numeral2 denotes the containing-case, which may be of any suitableshape or construction and has a series of sight-apertures 3 in the frontside and a like number of peep-holes 4 in the operating side adjacent tothe front edge thereof. The case is rotatable on a trunnion 5 andprovided with a number of casters or rolls 6, revolving on a concentrictrack 7 upon the supporting-platform or deck of the vessel, whereby theapparatus may be turned so that the front thereof will be directedtoward the vessel being spoken. Translucent screens 8, having opaqueletters or other distinguishing marks thereon, are arranged to beopposite the said sight-apertures and passing around lead rolls 9 arewound upon drums or spools l0 10'', which are loosely mounted uponvertical spindles 11 11, jonrnaled in bearings 12. A coupling member 13,splined to said spindles, is pro vided for each of the spools and havinghorns 13', which engage with corresponding (lepressions 13 of the spoolsto clutch the latter to their respective spindles. The coupling membersare moved vertically or longitudinally of their spindles by means offorked levers 1 s 14, fulcrumed to suitable supports, such as 15 15, andhave handles 16 16 projecting eXt-eriorly of the case. A brake device isprovided for each spool in order to exert a frictional pressure upontheir hubs 17 and restrain the spools from unwinding too freely andinsure the screens being taut be tween the rolls. These brake devicesseverally comprise a pair of jaws 18, openable, against the action ofcontractile springs 18', upon pivots 19, supported by brackets 19,secured to the case.

Fixedly mounted to the spindles 11 11, respectively, are worm-wheels 2020', which are coincidently rotatable, but in opposite directions, byscrews 21 21' of opposite-hand threads--that is to say, one to be aright-hand screw and the other a left-hand one. These screws are mountedon and turn with a transversely-disposed spindle or arbor 22, jour--naled in bearings 22 and rotated, preferably, by a hand-actuated crank23 upon the spindle extremity outside of the case. cent electric lamps24 for night signaling are provided opposite the said sight-apertu resof the case and in rear of the screens. 25 denotes a reflector orreflectors adapted to focus or concentrate the illuminating-lights uponthe aforementioned screen letters or characters, and which, beingopaque, mask in part the translucent screens and make the saidinscriptions very effective.

Positioned upon the top, preferably, of the case and hinged thereto, soas to be raised for exhibiting or turned down out of sight, as required,is a code-pennant 26, operated by any convenient means, such as line 27,attached to lever 27. The code-pennant, however, instead of being placedabove the case, as shown in the drawings, may be represented upon one ofthe screens 8, so that it can, similarly to the code-letters, bediscernible during the darkest night.

The operation of the improved signal apparatus constructed as abovedescribed is as follows: The case is first turned on its trunnion tobring the front directly toward and at right angles to the observer withwhom a communication is to be made. The code pennant is then displayedand is answered by the same sign from the other vessel, and whichsymbol, it may be said, is used successively after each separatesentence to denote that the signal made has been understood. Noticehaving been drawn and acknowledged, as above mentioned, the operatingmechanism is set in motion by one of the sailors turn ing the crank 23,which through the action of the screw and worm devices turns thevertical spindles ll 11 in opposite ways. Any of the several screens maynow be moved in either direction across the sight-apertures by pressingdown on the proper lever-handle 16 or 16 to engage with its respectivespool, according to the direction it is necessary to have the screentraverse to bring the desired screenletter into view. The changes maybemade consecutively or simultaneously by a proper manipulation of thevarious aforesaid handles, and the exact or relative locations of theseveral letters may at any time be determined by scrutinizing the screenasit passes back of the peep-holes 4,wherein are seen key-letterssimilar to the adjacent exposed ones. For instance, if it is found bylooking into any one of the said peep-holes that the letter R is exposedby that screen then as the letters are arranged in their common order aletter near the beginning of the alphabet would be brought into view bydepressing the reverse handle, say 16, to couple the controlling-spoolto its spindle and wind the screen until the key-letter similar to theone desired is discerned in the peep-hole, when the spool is disengagedby releasing the said lever- Incandeshandle and the particular screen isstopped; but in the event of one of the letters in an ascendingdirection being required one of the other (go-ahead) levers, as 16,would be used. It is obvious that all of the screens can be movedcoincidentally by depressing one-half of the lever-handlessimultaneously, either go ahead or receding, though ordinarily theywould be moved in pairs, which would involve the use of both hands of amanipulator while a sailor contin uously turns the crank 23.

It is apparent that the arrangement and construction of the presentapparatus may be somewhat modified without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or sacrificing its advantages. For instance, the screensmay be made with an opaque body and translucent characters, theoperating mechanism may be driven by a steam or an electric motor, orthe case placed horizontally instead of in a vertical position, asshown.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

l. A signal apparatus, comprising a containing-case havingsight-apertures in the front thereof, translucent screens having opaquecharacters marked thereon, lead-rolls for said screens, verticalspindles, spools loosely mounted on said spindles, clutch devicessplined to said spindles and adapted to engage'the said spools thereto,levers for actuating said clutch devices, worm-Wheels on said spindles,another spindle arranged transversely to aforesaid spindles and havingscrews thereon adapted to engage said wormwheels to rotate saidfirst-named spindles, means to rotate the transverse spindle,a brakedevice substantially as described for each of said spools, lightspositioned opposite said case-apertures in the rear of the screens, anda reflector.

2. In a signal apparatus, the combination with a containing-case,screens having sign characters marked thereon, spools for said screensloosely mounted on vertical spindles, means to rotatably engage saidspools to said spindles, such means comprising clutch members splined tosaid spindles and having horns adapted to engage with correspondingrecesses of the spools, and forked levers, of worm-wheels on saidspindles, screws of opposite hand adapted to engage with said worms andmounted on a transversely-disposed spindle, and means to rotate saidspindle whereby the said vertical spindles are driven in oppositedirections.

3. The combination with the pair of spindles and the screens mountedthereon, of means for rotating the said spindles, and means for-connecting one or more of the said screens with the spindles so thatsaid screens may be Wound as the spindles are rotated.

4. The combination with the rotatable case formed with sight-openings,of a pair of spin- ICC IIO

dies jonrnaled in the said case, one to each across the saidsight-openings, and means for side of the said sight-openings, a seriesof rotating the said spindles. IO spools loosely mounted on each spindleat In testimony whereof I affix my signature points above each other,clutch members carin presence of two witnesses.

5 ried by the spindles, means for operating said WILLIAM 3. SMITH.

clutch members independently into and out Witnesses: of engagementwiththe said spools, screens PIERRE BARNES,

carried by the said spools and extending JOHN N. PERKINS.-

